90
The New York Times by Andy Webster
[A] fascinating and assured documentary.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
60
New York Daily News by Joe Dziemianowicz
Whether or not the movie turns you into X-philes, Yoshiki is hard to shake.
80
Kijak finds poignancy behind the pomp as he builds to a fist-pumping finale.
70
Los Angeles Times by Kimber Myers
Director Kijak deserves credit for constructing an engaging narrative that will have the uninitiated crossing their arms in an X in solidarity by the end.
78
Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov
I was unfamiliar with X Japan (as they’re known outside of their home country) but after watching this thrilling documentary I’m a rock solid fan, scouring eBay for old concert T-shirts. As Gene Simmons notes, “If X had been born in America, they might have been the biggest band in the world.”
40
A documentary that poses more questions that it answers can intrigue and beguile but there are vast areas in We Are X left crying out for further exploration.
60
We Are X is nothing you haven’t seen before as a music documentary, but it succeeds as an examination of why we turn to escapist art, and what we do when it’s no longer there.
63
You don’t have to understand the lyrics — or even like the music — to find We Are X entertaining, even, at times, moving.
50
Die-hard X Japan fans may enjoy seeing Yoshiki talk about his past, but everyone else will leave We Are X wondering who X Japan is.
60
Time Out London by Tom Huddleston
The absolute seriousness with which the band regard themselves – particularly drummer-songwriter Yoshiki, who’s so famous that Stan Lee turned him into a superhero – is never questioned by Kijak, resulting in a fitfully enjoyable but rather pompous fan film.